Spartans, Panthers hold annual events to raise awareness and funds

Some perspective could be found Wednesday night at both the Lakeview and Pennfield High School gymnasiums.

There were important late-season volleyball matches to be played. But more important were the causes those schools were playing for.

Both the Spartans and Panthers held their annual 'Dig Pink' events, where players don pink jerseys as part of the national breast cancer awareness month. Lakeview is in its seventh year of 'Dig Pink,' with proceeds from the event going to the Side-Out Foundation. This is the third year for 'Dig Pink' at Pennfield, with proceeds going to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

"It's for a good cause — something bigger than volleyball," said Lakeview head coach Heather Sawyer. "Something bigger than your team or season or volleyball. (Cancer) touches all of our lives. We all have a relative or friends, and lots of people in our Lakeview community — it always surprises me each year how many people are affected."

Lakeview and Pennfield are hardly alone in their effort to raise awareness and funds to combat cancer. The success of the 'Dig Pink' campaign can been seen across the country, with teams holding similar events seemingly on a nightly basis throughout the month of October. Bellevue and Tekonsha competed in a 'Dig Pink' event on Tuesday night, while Calhoun Christian did a similar 'Dig for a Cure, Pink Out Night' back on Oct. 2.

"Pink games around the country are raising awareness and funds to support research, and hopefully at some point with all the support we will find a cure," said Pennfield head coach Amanda Zima. "When we play this game, not only are the girls learning about this disease, they are also learning about the strength that the women and men have who fight the disease have. Most importantly, it's a lesson to never take anything for granted in life and cherish what you have."

Nick Buckley can be reached at nbuckley@battlecreekenquirer.com or 269-966-0652. Follow him on Twitter:@NickJBuckley